Within the context of developing onboard avionics equipment (which meets, in particular, the ARINC 600 standard), it is known to be necessary to systematically conduct functional tests on the equipment during the production process. These functional tests are generally implemented by means of a standard ATEC (or Automatic Test Equipment Complex) test bay. Such bays are very widespread in the field of onboard electronics.
More particularly, the production rates for onboard equipment are increasing greatly as delivery rates for civil and military aircraft increase. This results in maximum operating rates at equipment production lines and, therefore, at the test bays. The testing staff and resources used are thus placed under much pressure. This can all impact on performance, availability and quality.
The direct result of the increase in the electric content of aircraft is the increase in computing power and data-processing requirements. This translates into an increase in the size of electronic devices and in the number of signals to be processed. These signals are carried from the electronic device (computer) to an aircraft system by means of connectors. The connectors used have a very high density of contacts. These contacts (or pins) are very sensitive to poor handling. Thus, it is not uncommon to find damage at these contacts during the production process or even on an aircraft. For these reasons, the number of tests continues to increase.
To conduct a test, the electronic device is connected manually to the test bay, which can cause accidental damage during insertion and removal of the equipment.
Moreover, the conventional connection systems used to this effect are generally adapted to a single computer size, which means that different connection systems have to be provided to be able to test various electronic devices.